Vivid Dreams
by Illusionary Heart
Summary: Eve is spending a happy life with her fiancee Chung. But when her dreams and outside life become haunted with a red-haired young man, she begins to wonder about her love for Chung, as well as try to hide her growing feelings for the one who appears in her dreams. ElsEve, one-shot for Mayumi-Chan AKA Chizu.


**A/N: I'm soo sorry about how late this is, Chizu. BUT I FINALLY GOT THIS TO WORK SO HERE'S YOUR ONE-SHOT! It's kinda rushed because of how long it is, I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy. Well, it seemed long when I wrote it.**

**Also might be slightly weird because I've never written with a Shy!Elsword before, or ElsEve in general. I hope I did well enough.**

**EDIT 7/14: I forgot to add the classes -3- like I always do. Story is in the adult world so assume all of them are about 20-27 years in age.**

**Eve: Code Battle Seraph**

**Elsword: Rune Slayer**

**Chung: Deadly Chaser**

**Ara: (?) Third Class**

**Ara is in her (as of now, unnamed) third class because I thought it would fit her better than Sakra Devanam or Yama Raja. **

* * *

Eve placed all the books on the shelves, counting them alphabetically. "Chung, we are missing the book on Robot History." She continued counting as her blond-haired fiancee popped his head in.

"Which one?" He asked her, bright blue eyes shining. "You could be more specific, you know."

"Um..." She hesitated briefly. "The fifth one. This is your job, Chung. And your books. Why am I doing such things for you?"

He paused, plopping himself down on the couch. "Well...Because you love me?" He looked at her with a pleading expression and she sighed, defeated.

"I will take that,"She said. "But only this once." His eyes brightened, and he patted her head before traipsing out of the room. Eve sighed. He forgot to give her the book. "Chung!"

* * *

Eve had many great friends. But her favorite was Ara. The girl acted quite unlike her age, and was very clumsy. But Eve decided that was one of the factors that made the girl quite likeable. She was like, to make a comparison, a big, clumsy panda. Eve liked pandas. But, admittedly, Red Pandas were the best pandas.

She was on her way to meet her right now, actually. Walking past numerous clothes stores (Which, in fact, Eve could care less about) she found her shy friend sitting at a cafe a block away. Eve sped up her pace, because she was about .00002 seconds late as of that minute.

She closed her eyes for a split-second, and then an impact hit her. She jerked backwards, yelping. The young woman landed square on her behind, and she opened her eyes to chastise whoever had run into her. Instead of finding some business-man pervert, she found herself staring face-to-face with a handsome young man with a mop of messy, choppy red hair. Two little pigtails were tied near the back.

"A-ah! I-I'm really sorry!" He hurriedly got up, Eve following him speechlessly with her eyes. "Are you okay? I, I'm really, really sorry!" His face was bright red and he looked uncertain of what to do for a moment before extending his hand out to her. Evestared at him for a couple of seconds, and to her surprise he turned even redder. "U-um...?"

Realizing she probably should take his hand now, Eve grasped his and took his offer in helping her up. "I'm r-really sorry," He apologized again.

She stared for another moment before saying, "It is fine. Make sure it does not happen again."

"R-right! I'm sorry!" He dipped his head in a bow, face still flaming. Huh, he looked kind of... cute. Baby face.

Suddenly feeling irritated with his submissive personality, she said, "Stop apologizing. I'll admit it was not entirely your fault, so stop." Eve watched as he looked up at her, and straightened himself out. "I will apologize, too."

His face (which had turned a normal hue within a matter of seconds) burst into flames again. "A-Ah... Alright. H, have a nice day." Then he walked past her, leaving Eve alone on the crowded street. She found herself unable to tear her eyes away from his retreating back as he disappeared into the crowd. Eve stood there for another full minute, and then continued on her way to meet Ara.

He, Eve decided, resembled a red panda.

* * *

Maybe it was fate. That very night, as Eve climbed into her bed, she had the strangest dream. She was running, running, running. Somehow, she ended up on a rather tropical-looking island, holding hands with... With who? Then the scenery shifted, and she was getting married.

_But with who?_ She could only see up to this person's chest - and it definitely wasn't Chung. Chung always wore a necklace with some kind of blue gem. This person was not wearing that necklace. Instead, there was a necklace just like Chung's, but with an orange gem* attached. She couldn't tear her eyes away from it, and the dream changed again.

This time, the person with her was clearly visible. It was Ara, her face red and tear-stained. Her hands were up in a pleading motion, and she looked absolutely miserable. Eve didn't understand. What was happening? Why was her best friend crying in front of her like this?

Then she heard the first visible sound in her dream. Ara screamed.

Eve jerked awake, her body covered in a thin flim of sweat. Panting, she glanced at herself in the mirror. She was completely pale, but red in the face. Her long, slivery hair was clumped and matted, suggesting that she had moved around a lot during her sleep. What was that? Why was it so... Realistic?

And most of all, why was it so vivid?

Feeling confused, she knew she couldn't talk to Chung about this. After all, who just goes to their fiancee and tells him she had a dream about getting married to a man who wasn't him? She had to talk to someone who she could trust.

She could call Aisha, but sometimes that woman was too loopy in the head. Always talking about charms and fortune-telling, sometimes she seemed like she had eighth-grade syndrome or something. She could call Rena, but then the taller woman would just suggest that she was just stressed out. She could call Raven, but to be honest she didn't have all that great of a relationship with him. And then there was that creepy stalker Add. No, there was only one person who would understand.

Ara.

Eve picked up the phone and dialed Ara's number, hoping she would pick up. Thankfully, Ara was an early riser (Okay, perhaps four in the morning was a little too early) and picked up. "It's too early... Call me later, Eve."

"No. I must talk to you."

"Can we just make an appointment to meet at that cafe later? I'm... Super tired right now. Please?" Eve was put off by the drowsiness in Ara's voice and agreed.

"Fine."

"Thank youuuuu."

"Same time, same place."

"Uh-huuuuuuuhhhhh."

* * *

Eve was again late. It didn't help that Chung was out of town and had left that very morning, either. She surged through the crowd, and then sensed a person in front of her, stepping aside. "I'm not going to repeat yesterday," She mumbled to herself, tossing her bothersome silver locks aside.

"Ah!"

Eve looked up to stare into a pair of crimson eyes, the eyes that had been buried into her mind since yesterday. "You!" Nostalgia hit her square between the eyes as she stared into the crimson ones.

"O-oh! I'm sorry!" He stumbled backwards, accidently bumping into an elderly man. "Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me."

She pursed her lips. "Did I not tell you to stop apologizing?"

He looked up, eyes wide. "Sorry! I-I mean..."

Eve laughed. "Pfft."

He stared at her, and she stared back before extending her hand. "Eve."

"Um... What?"

"I am Eve." She waited for a few moments, and when he failed to respond she cleared her throat and said, "Now that I introduced myself, perhaps you should do the same?"

He jumped, red hair flying. "Oh! I'm Elsword." He reached out and took her hand. It was warm. She stared down at it, eyes wide for a moment and then turned her piercing yellow gaze on Elsword's face.

"Elsword." She said.

He turned red again. Apparently he was easy to embarrass. "Y-yeah?"

"Just testing out your name." She smiled.

He turned redder.

Needless to say, Eve had nothing to say to Ara when she arrived an hour later than planned.

* * *

As she climbed into bed, Eve hoped for the best. Butterflies and cheetahs, if she was lucky. Actually, no. No butterflies. It would be the absolute worst, to have those ugly butterflies intrude her dreams... She never did understand the strange fascination children had with them. With their creepy, spindly legs... Ew.

But she was far from her hopes. This time, her dreams started out immediately with the wedding again, as if it were hoping to continue off from where it had ended. The orange crystal sparkled bright, and she was suddenly blinded by it's sparkle. When she refocused her eyes, she was out, and staring down at Ara.

She was still crying, holding her hands up. Eve suddenly raised her hands as if to strike her, and then she was awake. Sweaty, confused and shocked, she quickly raised her hands to her beating heart. _That was even more vivid than the last time,_ she breathed silently to herself. Eve sat in bed for a while longer, thinking and thinking.

Did this mean something? Was something wrong about the impending marriage?

When Chung awoke about three hours later, she was sitting on the dining table with a cup of chamomile tea, looking dazed. Quite unlike herself, she could say. "Hey," He grinned at her, shuffling to the kitchen.

She gazed numbly at him, before saying, "Good morning."

"Is something bothering you?" He asked, making himself a short breakfast of cereal. Usually Eve would comment on it's unhealthiness, especially since it was chocolate, but she didn't feel like it.

"... Not particularly." She twisted the cup around to stare at the panda bear drawn on the cup, feeling blank. Well, more than usual.

"You're not acting like yourself, you know." He said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "You can tell me anything, Eve." He grinned cheesily. "Because I love you."

She looked at him, and said, "I love you too."

As he left, she realized that her heart wasn't in it.

Eve picked up the phone and dialed Ara's number again. "I need to speak with you again. And it is urgent."

* * *

Since it was midday, there was nobody on the streets as she made her way towards the cafe. Except for a familiar red-headed boy, mumbling things under his breath as they unwittingly approached each other. He looked up as she stopped in front of him and jumped. "O-oh. Hi, Eve."

"Hello."

"Um... Do you always go around wearing that?" Elsword pointed at her choker, and her hand immediately flew to her neck. She'd never thought about it, it was just one of the fashion styles her family carried. Eve supposed she'd rather impulsively adapted to it.

She frowned. "Now that you mention it, it is rather uncomfortable." Eve worked her way to the back, attempting to take it off. Okay, now that Elsword that mentioned it, it was getting really stuffy. "I... Cannot seem to..." As she fumbled with the clasp on the side, Elsword glanced at her worryingly and said, "Do you need help?"

After another lame attempt, she said, "Please."

Elsword went around and she pushed her hair aside for him to see. When his fingers touched her neck, she jolted. "Oh, I'm sorry." Eve was frozen the entire time his hands were near her, and then he unclasped it. He gently took it off and placed it in her hands. "Here you go."

Her heart was beating way too fast. Faster than she was with Chung, she realized a little too late. He smiled at her, and then said, "I'll see you later."

She kept on watching him go. They didn't talk like before, for an hour. She narrowed her eyes. Why not? That thought was on her mind the entire way to the cafe. Ara was waiting patiently. "Hi, Eve." She smiled.

Eve sat. "Never mind the greetings. I had another dream." The first time, Eve hadn't elaborated on the fact that Ara was crying, nor had she told the person herself. "I haven't been completely truthful when I spoke of my dreams last time."

Ara pushed her ice drink aside, looking carefully at Eve. "I see. What is it?"

She looked down at her snow-colored hands, thinking. How was she going to explain this to Ara? "Well..." Ara looked a little at a loss of what to say. Eve rarely got tongue-tied like this. "You've been appearing in my dreams as well, Ara."

At this, Ara leaned back, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "W-what is it?"

"You're on your knees. Crying. And I was about to strike you." She explained, ordering tea when the waiter came around. A warm breeze lifted Ara's hair, her face shadowed momentarily by the black strands.

"... Oh." Ara looked pained. "Oh."

"I don't understand why, myself. They're just dreams, sure, but I have a feeling they mean more than that. Are you alright?" She asked when she spotted the younger female looking down.

"I... Um... Have a confession. And... I don't think you're going to like this." Ara whispered, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm really sorry, Eve."

Confused and curious, Eve asked, "Why is that?"

"I... Like Chung."

"...!"

This time, Eve really did slap her.

* * *

It was all so sudden that she didn't know how to react but go back to the cafe without calling Ara on Friday, hoping to meet a certain red-heard boy. The wedding was tomorrow, but she had other things to worry about.

Sure enough, he was walking down the street, muttering to himself again. When she stopped, he didn't seem to see her and ran directly into her. "Whoaa!"

"Hello again." Eve said, "In a hurry?"

"Um, well, not really."

"Where do you always go?"

"Um... Home. From work. I do the night shift in where I work." He sounded a little sheepish when he said that.

"I see." Eve said, and then glanced down at his outfit, commenting, "Isn't that -" And she paled. Elsword scratched his neck, looking uncomfortable and shy.

"I - um - "

Eve's hand shot forward, gripping the gem on his necklace. "This..." She turned it over in her hands, eyes reeling this discovery. "Where did you get this?" She thrust the orange gem at Elsword's face.

"Oh... I found it at an island I visited when... I was, um, younger." He ducked his head, turning red. "It's, um, not cool, I know, but it's, uh..." Eve released the gem and exhaled. And then she smiled at him, a real, genuine smile.

"I think it's fine." She told him, adjusting her bag. The breeze was calm and pleasant. "Do you have time?"

"Um... For what?"

"I'm going to this cafe. Would you like to come with me?"

"... S-sure."

She led him all the way to the cafe, him lagging behind. "Walk faster."

"S-sorry."

Eve made him sat, and ordered tea while Elsword hesitantly ordered coffee. They sat in silence until the drinks came, and she calmly sipped her tea while Elsword nervously stared at his coffee. "Stop being so nervous around me. I am not going to destroy you, bit by bit, and eat your heart with a triton."

He chuckled nervously. "That's um, very descriptive."

"I try." She said humorlessly, completely serious. "By the way you act, I would say that you have a strict, aboding older sister who comes to check up on you once every week and reprimind you for everything during the visit, no?"

Elsword jumped, started, his cute - I mean red eyes jumping from his cup to her face. "How did you know?"

"Intellect. I did major in psychology." Eve said, taking another sip. They didn't put enough tea leaves in this, she mused. "The dominatrix female is always the answer to people like you." She said.

He looked down, red locks falling into his eyes. He pushed them out of the way, swatting a butterfly away, and said, "Y-you're not wrong... I guess."

There was another plausible silence. She eyed him like a cat would a fish. He really didn't talk much, did he? Eve sighed. She was getting nowhere with him. She did feel a lot better, though. She gave him a strained smile and said, "I will pay."

He started, looking at her with genuine concern. "Um... Well, before that... Is something bothering you, Eve?"

She stared at him. It was the first time in their long talks that he'd ever referred to her by name. "I... Marriage blues, one might say."

Elsword froze. "...W-what?"

"I'm getting married next weekend. Perhaps I am just tired." Eve said, resting her cheek in her palm. "And Ara... Nevermind Ara."

He abruptly stood up, his coffee left untouched. She stared at him, surprised by his sudden mood changed. His face had soured, and he said, "I'm sorry, I have to go. Have a nice weekend."

She didn't say anything as Elsword hurried out of the restaurant, paying for them as he left. She watched as he ran down the sidewalk, cheeks flushed. Then she closed her eyes, completely aware of the fact that she was starting to get upset.

The next day, Eve sat in the dressing room of the wedding house as Rena and Aisha fussed over her hair, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror. She was getting married today. A girl's dream day. Yet why did it feel so empty?

Her hair was teased up, and her dress was... sparkly. But she didn't feel like she should have, not like she should have.

Aisha noticed the unusual sullen expression on Eve's face, giving Rena a nudge. "Hey, is there a problem?" Eve slowly turned her head to stare at both of her friends, and at Ara. She was standing in the corner, looking guilty and pained.

As she opened her mouth to speak, Eve felt something wet land on her hand. As she looked down to assess what had fallen down, two more droplets landed on her hand. Was she... crying?

"Oh, what's wrong? Hey, Ara, go get Chung!" Rena called out to her. Ara nodded and slipped out the door, and that was all Eve could see before her vision was blurred completely.

Aisha ran for the tissues, Rena trying to soothe her, when the door opened, and she heard Chung huffing, as if he ran all the way there. "Eve! What's wrong?"

Aisha pressed the tissues into Eve's palm, and then said, "We'll leave you alone." And ushered Rena and Ara out of the room, muttering to them under her breath. Chung took a tissue and wiped Eve's tears. "Eve... What's wrong?"

Eve looked at him with teary eyes, and murmured, "I can't do it."

"What?"

"I cannot marry you," She whispered, burying her face into her hands. "I am so sorry, Chung."

Then Chung sighed. "Is that what it is?" She looked up at him, confused, and Chung gave her a pained grin. "I've noticed that, too, lately. I was waiting for you to bring it up." He seated himself on the other side of the cushion. "It doesn't feel like it did six years ago, did it?"

Eve wiped away a stray tear, looking at her fiancee with amazement at how well he was taking it. "You... You're not mad?"

He grinned. "Like I said, I felt it too. I'm not that stupid. I can tell it's another person, right?" When she hesitated, he laughed. "It's okay, Eve. I think I have another person in mind, too. Sorry." Eve saw him glance at the door, and then at Ara's purse, which she left on the floor.

"Ara." She said, and then closed her eyes. Ah. So this is what their relationship was going to. "Go for it." She said. Chung turned to her, eyes wide, and then said, "But -"

"I don't mind." Eve said after a moment. "You didn't mind when I fell in love with him, so I don't mind you falling in love with Ara."

They both smiled at each other.

* * *

Sulking, Elsword pushed his way through the crowd again on the Saturday morning, at the usual time. He'd be looking out for Eve during this time, but she was getting married. Crushed all his hopes. He did like Eve, he really did. She was the only one ever to yell at him harshly and then act like it never happened. He was okay with it too, because she had legit points.

He didn't notice the short structure in front of him and accidently bumped into it. As he looked down to apologize, he froze. Eve had her arms crossed, wearing casual clothes, looking impatient. "What?" She asked, her face as blank as ever, "Are you not happy to see me?"

"But - but what - what about your wedding?" He was baffled, why wasn't she at her wedding.

Eve seemed to consider this question, and said, "I had better things to do." And then stood up in tiptoe to match his height, brushing her lips against his cheek.

"Way better things to do."

His face flamed a cherry red.


End file.
